Chapter 2:11-16
By Pastor Greg Hooker
VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE BOOK OF ROMANS
Read Scripture Text (Note: All Scriptures used are from the KJV.)
Chapter 2:11-16
Chapter 2:11-16
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Verse 11
“For there is no respect of persons with God.”
For God will deal with both the Jew and Gentile in the same manner when it comes to disobedience to Him on the principles of justice.
“respect of persons”
The Lord shows no favoritism or partiality in pronouncing judgement for sins committed. Wealth, rank, status, influence, popularity, makes no difference. God will not be influenced in pronouncing judgements and carrying out their sentences. He will judge in righteous judgment. He will judge people as they ought to be judged according to their character and deeds (Deuteronomy 10:17; Chronicles 19:7; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Peter 1:17; Acts 10:34).
Verse 12
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”
“For as many as have sinned”
Meaning those that have been guilty of crimes of any nature toward God or man. Sin is the transgression of a rule of conduct revealed to them by the Lord, therefore they are responsible for that knowledge.
Even those without the written Law (Gentiles for example) still don’t have an excuse for not recognizing the existence of a Supreme Being. The reason being, as we discussed in chapter one, every person has an inner knowledge that God endowed them with. Everyone understands to a certain degree that there is something greater than themselves, a Creator. It is encoded in our DNA. Science calls it ‘The God gene’ (Romans 2:14-15). Thus they will answer to the Lord based on that knowledge.
“shall also perish”
The Greek word “perish” occurs frequently in the New Testament. It means to destroy, to lose, or to corrupt. It is also used to denote future punishment, or the destruction of soul and body in Hell, (Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:14; John 3:15). It is diametrically opposite to eternal life and therefore denotes eternal death (Romans 14:15; John 17:12). This is how it’s used in this verse.
“without law”
Those individuals who have no knowledge that the Law of God even exists will not be judged by it. In other words, the Gentiles that new nothing about the written Law of God during the time of Paul, will not be judged by the Law that was given to the Jews. It would be a gross injustice if God judged someone on the basis of a law that was never revealed to them.
Rather, they shall be judged according to the knowledge they actually possess - that God-given inner knowledge, and the proof of nature itself.
This is the fair rule on which God will judge the world. It is noteworthy to say that the Jews who had the written Law of God are far more responsible to live by it than the Gentiles that had no knowledge of it.
NOTE: This is a good place to give an example of people that will not be judged by knowledge they don’t have. I’m talking about babies and children who cannot know or conceive what God expects of them. They are innocent of breaking any written or spoken rules set forth by their Creator because they simply cannot understand them. Until they grow mature enough, hear the Gospel, understand it to the point of being able to accept or reject it, they are under the umbrella of God’s grace. That is a “Righteous Judge”.
“have sinned in the law”
This is a reference to the Jews having a keen knowledge of the demands of God and endowed by more light, having prided themselves in knowing it among those that did not possess it. Yet regardless of this knowledge, the Jews often disobeyed it.
“shall be judged by the law”
The more knowledge a person has of God and His Gift of salvation through His Son, the more responsibility for which they will be judged by.
Verse 13
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
“For not the hearers are just”
Paul is telling the Jewish church they possessed the Law, had read and heard it, had largely neglected it, and to be fair, to some extent kept part of it. However, this will by no means justify them before a holy God.
The Law required complete and full obedience at all times during a persons lifetime. Therefore, no man can obtain such an achievement. That is why Paul is making this argument. He is saying to the church at Rome, ‘you’re fighting a loosing battle if you think the Lord will proclaim you justified by the Law, your good works, or church attendance.’
“but the doers of the law shall be justified”
It seems from this passage, that whoever complies entirely with the Laws demands and yields to it perfect and perpetual obedience, “shall be justified” by it (Leviticus 18:5). As we will learn later, the Law was given to show man God’s holy character, and that it is impossible to live up to it regardless of how much he tries. No one has ever, nor ever will be, justified upon the merits of keeping the Law.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Verse 11
“For there is no respect of persons with God.”
For God will deal with both the Jew and Gentile in the same manner when it comes to disobedience to Him on the principles of justice.
“respect of persons”
The Lord shows no favoritism or partiality in pronouncing judgement for sins committed. Wealth, rank, status, influence, popularity, makes no difference. God will not be influenced in pronouncing judgements and carrying out their sentences. He will judge in righteous judgment. He will judge people as they ought to be judged according to their character and deeds (Deuteronomy 10:17; Chronicles 19:7; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Peter 1:17; Acts 10:34).
Verse 12
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”
“For as many as have sinned”
Meaning those that have been guilty of crimes of any nature toward God or man. Sin is the transgression of a rule of conduct revealed to them by the Lord, therefore they are responsible for that knowledge.
Even those without the written Law (Gentiles for example) still don’t have an excuse for not recognizing the existence of a Supreme Being. The reason being, as we discussed in chapter one, every person has an inner knowledge that God endowed them with. Everyone understands to a certain degree that there is something greater than themselves, a Creator. It is encoded in our DNA. Science calls it ‘The God gene’ (Romans 2:14-15). Thus they will answer to the Lord based on that knowledge.
“shall also perish”
The Greek word “perish” occurs frequently in the New Testament. It means to destroy, to lose, or to corrupt. It is also used to denote future punishment, or the destruction of soul and body in Hell, (Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:14; John 3:15). It is diametrically opposite to eternal life and therefore denotes eternal death (Romans 14:15; John 17:12). This is how it’s used in this verse.
“without law”
Those individuals who have no knowledge that the Law of God even exists will not be judged by it. In other words, the Gentiles that new nothing about the written Law of God during the time of Paul, will not be judged by the Law that was given to the Jews. It would be a gross injustice if God judged someone on the basis of a law that was never revealed to them.
Rather, they shall be judged according to the knowledge they actually possess - that God-given inner knowledge, and the proof of nature itself.
This is the fair rule on which God will judge the world. It is noteworthy to say that the Jews who had the written Law of God are far more responsible to live by it than the Gentiles that had no knowledge of it.
NOTE: This is a good place to give an example of people that will not be judged by knowledge they don’t have. I’m talking about babies and children who cannot know or conceive what God expects of them. They are innocent of breaking any written or spoken rules set forth by their Creator because they simply cannot understand them. Until they grow mature enough, hear the Gospel, understand it to the point of being able to accept or reject it, they are under the umbrella of God’s grace. That is a “Righteous Judge”.
“have sinned in the law”
This is a reference to the Jews having a keen knowledge of the demands of God and endowed by more light, having prided themselves in knowing it among those that did not possess it. Yet regardless of this knowledge, the Jews often disobeyed it.
“shall be judged by the law”
The more knowledge a person has of God and His Gift of salvation through His Son, the more responsibility for which they will be judged by.
Verse 13
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
“For not the hearers are just”
Paul is telling the Jewish church they possessed the Law, had read and heard it, had largely neglected it, and to be fair, to some extent kept part of it. However, this will by no means justify them before a holy God.
The Law required complete and full obedience at all times during a persons lifetime. Therefore, no man can obtain such an achievement. That is why Paul is making this argument. He is saying to the church at Rome, ‘you’re fighting a loosing battle if you think the Lord will proclaim you justified by the Law, your good works, or church attendance.’
“but the doers of the law shall be justified”
It seems from this passage, that whoever complies entirely with the Laws demands and yields to it perfect and perpetual obedience, “shall be justified” by it (Leviticus 18:5). As we will learn later, the Law was given to show man God’s holy character, and that it is impossible to live up to it regardless of how much he tries. No one has ever, nor ever will be, justified upon the merits of keeping the Law.
QUESTION INSTRUCTIONS: Please read each question and write your answer in the "COMMENT" box below. Be sure to number each answer corresponding to the question asked and be as thorough as possible. The more you put into this study, the more you will commit it to memory. IMPORTANT: Do not refresh or shut your computer down until you are finished with this section and click the "Submit" button or you will loose all your information.
1. Discuss what Paul means by “respect of persons”
2. Explain the God gene.
3. What does the Greek word “perish” mean?
4. Will a person who has no knowledge of a law be judged by it? Explain.
5. What does the Law require?
2. Explain the God gene.
3. What does the Greek word “perish” mean?
4. Will a person who has no knowledge of a law be judged by it? Explain.
5. What does the Law require?
Verse 14
“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”
The main point that Paul is making to the church at Rome, is the irrefutable fact that they are unable to keep the Law to obtain salvation. It was given to reign in the sins of mankind, to restrain their evil until a perfect sacrifice is made to justify men before God. They had the perfect Law and knew in their hearts it was futile to think they were capable of even contemplating keeping it.
In like manner, the Gentiles who did not have the written law could not be saved through the knowledge of God they had obtained at birth. They, like all people, had received the God gene that gave them the awareness of a Supreme Being, but like the written Law, it could never justify them before the Lord. Paul will later reason with them concerning the New Covenant of Jesus Christ and how all peoples of the earth can be saved.
Verse 15
“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”
“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
The revealed Law of God was written on tables of stone and then recorded in the books of the Old Testament. This law the Gentiles did not possess, but to a certain extent, the same requirements were written in their hearts. Though the Law wasn’t revealed in as much detail to them as it was to the Jews, yet they had obtained some knowledge of God’s requirements by the light endowed in them from birth (“written in their hearts”) and by nature itself. Everything in existence cries out ‘there is a God’ and no one has any excuse.
The will of God, whether made known by reason to the Gentiles, or revelation of the written Law to the Jews, will have the same tragic outcome, death.
“their conscience also bearing witness, or reason”
This word properly means the judgment of the mind respecting right and wrong. The mind approves or disapproves its own actions based on God’s revealed laws. Man is given the choice of free will to determine his actions.
“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” - John 8:9, (see also Acts 24:12; Romans 9:1; 1 Timothy 1:5).
“and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;”
God has given us minds capable of understanding the laws of God, which do one of two things,
(1) Accuse us if our actions were evil and violated the precepts of the Lord.
(2) Excuse us if our actions were good according to His precepts.
So man is never without the knowledge of a Supreme Being and they condemn or acquit themselves by their own conscience.
Verse 16
“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
“In that day when God shall judge the secrets of man”
At the appointed day God will appoint His Son, Jesus, to judge all men, both the believers at the ‘Judgement Seat of Christ’, and the unbelievers at ‘The Great White Throne Judgement’. Jesus will administer both judgments and it will not be by God the Father directly.
NOTE: I used to think God the Father will be the Judge of the sinners, but the Bible plainly teaches that He cannot look upon sin at all. Therefore, the Father gave Jesus all authority both in Heaven and on the earth as a Righteous Judge. Perhaps this would make for a good study itself.
Every person will stand before Jesus at one of these judgements. There are no exceptions. There is no place to hide. Every action whether good or bad will be brought to light. All of people’s thoughts and intentions will be uncovered and they shall be judged justly and receive their proper rewards. There will be no errors or mistakes. Every individual will willfully agree with the outcome.
“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”
The main point that Paul is making to the church at Rome, is the irrefutable fact that they are unable to keep the Law to obtain salvation. It was given to reign in the sins of mankind, to restrain their evil until a perfect sacrifice is made to justify men before God. They had the perfect Law and knew in their hearts it was futile to think they were capable of even contemplating keeping it.
In like manner, the Gentiles who did not have the written law could not be saved through the knowledge of God they had obtained at birth. They, like all people, had received the God gene that gave them the awareness of a Supreme Being, but like the written Law, it could never justify them before the Lord. Paul will later reason with them concerning the New Covenant of Jesus Christ and how all peoples of the earth can be saved.
Verse 15
“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”
“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
The revealed Law of God was written on tables of stone and then recorded in the books of the Old Testament. This law the Gentiles did not possess, but to a certain extent, the same requirements were written in their hearts. Though the Law wasn’t revealed in as much detail to them as it was to the Jews, yet they had obtained some knowledge of God’s requirements by the light endowed in them from birth (“written in their hearts”) and by nature itself. Everything in existence cries out ‘there is a God’ and no one has any excuse.
The will of God, whether made known by reason to the Gentiles, or revelation of the written Law to the Jews, will have the same tragic outcome, death.
“their conscience also bearing witness, or reason”
This word properly means the judgment of the mind respecting right and wrong. The mind approves or disapproves its own actions based on God’s revealed laws. Man is given the choice of free will to determine his actions.
“And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” - John 8:9, (see also Acts 24:12; Romans 9:1; 1 Timothy 1:5).
“and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;”
God has given us minds capable of understanding the laws of God, which do one of two things,
(1) Accuse us if our actions were evil and violated the precepts of the Lord.
(2) Excuse us if our actions were good according to His precepts.
So man is never without the knowledge of a Supreme Being and they condemn or acquit themselves by their own conscience.
Verse 16
“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”
“In that day when God shall judge the secrets of man”
At the appointed day God will appoint His Son, Jesus, to judge all men, both the believers at the ‘Judgement Seat of Christ’, and the unbelievers at ‘The Great White Throne Judgement’. Jesus will administer both judgments and it will not be by God the Father directly.
NOTE: I used to think God the Father will be the Judge of the sinners, but the Bible plainly teaches that He cannot look upon sin at all. Therefore, the Father gave Jesus all authority both in Heaven and on the earth as a Righteous Judge. Perhaps this would make for a good study itself.
Every person will stand before Jesus at one of these judgements. There are no exceptions. There is no place to hide. Every action whether good or bad will be brought to light. All of people’s thoughts and intentions will be uncovered and they shall be judged justly and receive their proper rewards. There will be no errors or mistakes. Every individual will willfully agree with the outcome.
QUESTION INSTRUCTIONS: Please read each question and write your answer in the "COMMENT" box below. Be sure to number each answer corresponding to the question asked and be as thorough as possible. The more you put into this study, the more you will commit it to memory. IMPORTANT: Do not refresh or shut your computer down until you are finished with this section and click the "Submit" button or you will loose all your information.
6. What was the ‘main point’ Paul was making to the Jews and Gentiles?
7. Discuss “their conscience also bearing witness, or reason”.
8. God has given us minds capable of understanding the laws of God. They do what two things?
9. At what judgement will non-believers be judge at?
10. At what judgement will believers be judged at?
11. Who will be Judge at these judgements?
7. Discuss “their conscience also bearing witness, or reason”.
8. God has given us minds capable of understanding the laws of God. They do what two things?
9. At what judgement will non-believers be judge at?
10. At what judgement will believers be judged at?
11. Who will be Judge at these judgements?